


The Sea Siren

by jynx



Series: The Sea Siren [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Gift Fic, M/M, Mermaid Kíli, Mermaid Sex, based on art, fili is a pirate, maneating mer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 02:43:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 10,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jynx/pseuds/jynx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili finds a merman and decides to take it home with him</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kyuubikun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyuubikun/gifts).



> reposting. almost all are gift fic for Kyuu

"What do you think you're doing?"

The merman smiled at him from upside down, his hand trailing teasingly over Fili's bum.

"Stop that," Fili ordered.

The merman's tail flicked idly as his hand slid lower. Fili faced forward and started walking back to his ship. He was going to take the merman and sell him, get a very nice piece of change for his scaly hide. There were plenty of people out there willing to pay a small fortune for such a creature and Fili was not about to give that up lightly. That didn't stop him from yelping in indignation and almost dropping his prize when said prize grabbed his ass with a surprisingly firm grip.

"Stop that," Fili snapped, turning to glare back at the creature.

The merman looked at him as innocently as possible with wide brown eyes. Fili smacked his hand against what he assumed would be the other's ass in retaliation. The merman snickered and curled closer against Fili, rubbing his face into the small of his back and using both dangling hands to get a firmer grip. 

Fili tried not to jump but it was a just thing. 

"I'm not going to be able to get rid of you, am I?" Fili asked.

The merman wriggled out of his grasp and caught himself on his hands and went down to his arms on the dock, his tail sliding over the edge and flicking the water teasingly. His hair clung to his skin as it dried and he smiled up at Fili, a rather smug look on his face.

"Kili," he said, touching his chest. He pointed at Fili. "Who?"

Fili looked down at him and sighed. He sat down and touched his own chest. "Fili."

Kili smiled brightly and surged forward, quicker than Fili had seen him move, even in the water, and kissed him square on the lips. Fili sputtered as the merman--Kili--laughed and watched him from the dock, turning to rest on his back. Fili narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

"Don't go getting any ideas," he warned.

"No," Kili said cheerfully. "No ideas."


	2. Chapter 2

Fili woke when he felt someone settle on top of him. He pulled out the dagger under his pillow and brought it to his night time visitor’s throat before he was fully awake. He blinked the sleep away a few times before staring at the creature sitting on top of him.

“Kili?” he asked, confused. Kili made a tiny noise in the back of his throat and stayed still. Fili realized he still held the knife and dropped his arms, putting the dagger back under his pillow. “Sorry,” he said. “I. What?”

Kili had legs. Had legs and currently was straddling Fili, his new legs spread and showing off the very nice body that his tail had apparently been hiding. Kili straightened, preening slightly as Fili ran his hands over the other’s torso and down to his hips and butt and thighs. Fili also noticed--couldn’t help noticing, really--that Kili had human male genitalia instead of whatever he had a merman. Kili was looking far too smug about the whole thing as Fili sat up.

“You did not have legs before,” Fili accused.

Kili leaned forward and kissed him. “Nope,” he said.

Fili ran his hand through the salt roughened hair and looked at Kili in the low light of the night. The moon was gone from the sky, leaving only stars and the barely there lamp light. Kili reached out and toyed with Fili’s braids, admiring him the same way he did from the water. Kili had taken to following Fili’s ship, sometimes vanishing for days before Fili saw him idly keeping up with the ship, tail slapping the water in impatience.

The other pirates on the ship jeered at him over it but they were some of the first to jump in the water when they dropped anchor and play in the water with Kili. The captain and his uncle Thorin, had seen nothing wrong with it and had even nodded in approval, saying what good luck charms the merpeople were to sailors. Dwalin, the first mate, had laughed in his booming way and told Fili to beware the...beware the new moon.

“What are you doing?” Fili asked, one hand on the small of Kili’s back.

“Want you,” Kili said simply. Kili was leaning into him and kissed him again before deliberately moving his hips against Fili’s. “Want...fuck me.” His speech had always been clear but stilted, not knowing many words. But that, Fili had not expected to hear that from him. Those were words the others used, not the laughing and smug mer who watched him.

“Kili,” Fili tried.

“No want?” Kili asked, his head tilting to the side, hair moving with the movement.

Fili swallowed. “Want,” he said, letting his hands sit on Kili’s hips. “A lot.”

Kili smiled brightly and kissed him as he started peeling Fili of his clothes. Fili tried to get him to slow down but Kili was focused, getting Fili naked with a single minded determination that left them both laughing and twined together on the bed. Kili didn’t have perfect control over his legs, sometimes forgetting that he had two legs, but he had Fili naked and between his legs, hands in Fili’s as the pirate ground against him.

“Like that?” Fili asked, watching hungrily as Kili’s head tipped back and his back arched, baring his throat. “Is this what you want?”

Kili used their entwined fingers to pull FIli closer and kissed him. He tasted clean and fresh, slick and salty, fresh like the ocean after the rain. Fili freed one hand, reaching down to wrap it around the elegant cock attached to Kili, stroking it tight and lazy, listening as his mer gasped and moaned. It was a wonderful cock, slim and long, curved and perfect looking and Fili wrung wonderful noises out of Kili by working it. A flush had settled in Kili’s normally tanned face and his eyes were wide as he panted and arched into Fili and it was probably one of the most gorgeous things he’d ever seen.

“Fili,” Kili moaned. “Want!”

Fili leaned over and kissed him again, smiling against his lips. “Yeah? What do you want?”

Kili reached down and gripped Fili’s cock. “This. Now!”

“We’re horribly bossy, aren’t we?” Fili asked, his hips thrusting into Kili’s hand.

Kili nipped Fili’s bottom lip and pouted at him. Fili let go of Kili and got off the bed, heading to his chest at the end of the bed. He dug through it as the mer rolled onto his side and watched him curiously, one foot flexing idly against Fili’s sheets. Finding the oil he wanted he joined Kili back on the bed and pulled Kili up onto his knees and into Fili’s lap. Kili made a curious sound, hands touching Fili’s shoulders and chest, while Fili poured some oil onto his fingers before setting it on the footboard.

“Can you do this anytime?” Fili asked, reaching back and easing a finger inside Kili. Kili made a soft sound, watching Fili with inhuman hunger, staying on his knees as Fili worked the finger deeper. “Kili?” he asked when his mer did nothing more than watch him.

“N-no,” the mer said, head tipping back as FIli pushed in another finger. “Moon.”

Fili was thorough, working Kili open with his fingers as he kissed and sucked and bit marks into Kili’s throat and shoulders. “Only when there’s no moon?” he asked. Kili made a positive sound and nearly shouted out when Fili brushed his fingers over his prostate. Fili wasn’t sure how Kili had one but then he wasn’t sure how Kili had shed his tail either.

“More, more, more,” Kili gasped. “Now, want, now! Fili, want! Give!”

“Greedy,” Fili said with a smile as he kept working Kili with his fingers, enjoying the way the mer writhed. “The moon keeps you in a tail?”

Kili leaned in and bit Fili’s ear, not a love bit, an actual “move-your-ass” bite, one that drew blood. Fili winced and slowly pulled his fingers free. Kili leaned back, his lips painted with Fili’s blood, and watched with hungry eyes as Fili grabbed the oil and slicked himself with it. He used more than he probably needed but this was a mer, not a human, and it was possible these things were different. The way Kili licked his lips free of blood and let Fili push him off his lap was not different from others, nor was the way Kili let Fili shove him face first into the bedding, an arm around his hips and pulling him back.

“Want,” Kili whined. 

Fili licked his lips, tasting sweat on his upper lip and in his moustache, and lined his cock up against Kili’s hole. The mer gave a loud cry as Fili pushed himself in, his hands reaching out to grip the solid wood of the headboard. Fili sank in the whole way, the oil slicking him nicely, as his mer whined and stayed still. Fili had a head against Kili’s neck, keeping him pinned, as they breathed, both adjusting to the feeling of each other.

“Fi,” Kili moaned. “Give.”

“Greedy and bossy,” Fili laughed breathlessly. “You’re amazing.”

“Want,” Kili said, trying to move. Fili, though, had him well pinned to the bed with the hand on his neck and the other around Kili’s hips, keeping him on his knees. “Want, want, want,wa--”

“Demanding,” Fili said as he dragged his hips slowly back and thrust back in.

He refused to be normal with his treatment of Kili, giving him shallow little thrusts and hard, deep, bed moving ones. The mer was anything but quiet, verbally demanding, and making noises that Fili could only guess were his language. Fili could feel the way Kili’s muscle were starting to shake and clamp down on him and he grinned victoriously, slamming harder and faster into his mer, making sure his cock hit that gland as often as possible.

Kili, when he came, was loud. His hands clawed at the sheets and he cried Fili’s name before giving into louder noises. Fili pulled out before the mer’s tightening ass could make him come as well and watched as Kili fell to the side, gasping for air. Wide brown eyes met Fili’s and dropped to his lap.

“No?” Kili asked once he could, voice shaky.

Fili smiled and pushed Kili onto his back, getting back between his legs and pushing back inside the delicious heat. Kili’s back arched and he wrapped his legs around Fili’s waist.

“I’ve got all night with you,” Fili said. “I’m not going to waste a single moment of it.”

Kili reached up and clung to Fili’s shoulders as they moved together. He licked his lips and watched him with that hunger lurking in the depths. Fili was going to do whatever he could to get rid of that hunger, to fuck his mer until the creature could barely move. If he wanted then Fili would give and give until he had nothing left.

:::

“Did you enjoy your visitor last night?” Thorin asked as the two looked out over the roiling ocean. They were to make port in some Caribbean island by tomorrow to wait out the oncoming storm so they would not damage the ship. Fili was both excited and disappointed, unsure of why he had such conflicting emotions, but he paused at his uncle’s words.

“Were we that loud?” Fili asked.

Thorin chuckled. “Oh, aye, but it was to be expected. That mer is rather attached to you and it was the new moon.”

“The lack of moon lets him have legs?” Fili asked, confused. Kili had refused to say anything about it, biting at Fili when he tried to talk about it.

Thorin nodded. “As far I understand it. So long as you’re near water and the moon is dark he will be in your bed. You could run to the ends of the world and he would always be there.”

Fili nodded, running a hand over his braided mustache. “If I did not want him to be there?” he asked.

“The only way to stop a mer is to cut out their heart,” Thorin said. “They are immortal and will stay with you until the end unless you kill them. And then they will turn to seafoam and fade into nothing.”

“I don’t mind,” Fili said, thinking about last night. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Mind that you keep it down tonight as well,” Thorin said, clapping Fili on the shoulder. “Or I’ll let Dwalin come show you how to properly gag your admirer.”

Fili smiled as he thought about that. The new moon might only be one night but the moon was dark for several nights before it became a final sliver.


	3. Chapter 3

Kili watched, curled around Fili as carefully as he could, as the other developed gills and his fins properly formed. Kili kissed his cheek and slid down Fili’s body to examine his tail and fin. No mark of human, just mer. No legs or toes or anything, just scales and tail. Kili smiled, relieved, pressing his face into Fili’s stomach and stroking his tail. It shimmered like gold, all shades of yellow from pale to dark in swirling patterns. Fili was gorgeous. He nuzzled Fili’s stomach, reaching around to stroke the black tipped dorsal fins.

“Kili,” Fili said, slapping a hand over his mouth.

“You’re speaking Mer,” Kili said, letting go of Fili and circling around him. He ran his webbed fingers along Fili’s spine and the way his dorsal melted into his skin and the delicate gills along Fili’s chest. He slipped down in the water and poked at Fili’s clasper. He wrapped a hand around them and grinned up at Fili. “You’re stunning.”

“Oh god,” Fili groaned. “What are you doing?”

Kili let go and swam up next to him, smiling. “What would you like first?” he asked. “To see the waters or my dwelling?”

“Dwelling?” Fili asked.

Kili smiled widely and kissed him, twining their tails together. He was a special type of mer, one who could be either sex as they decided. Usually he didn’t bother with any genetalia, but now he wanted. He wanted to make Fili feel good, to show him how the mer had sex, wanted to make him come like Fili made Kili come. 

“Come,” Kili said, grabbing Fili’s hand and tugging him with him as he swam toward the mer city. He was slower than normal, teaching Fili how to swim with a tail, and watching him happily. Several of the Mer King’s Guard watched them with narrowed eyes, a couple of them lunging for Fili.

“No strangers allowed,” one hissed at them, trying to grab Fili.

Kili put himself between Fili and the guard. “He is my mate. If you touch him you will answer to the King.”

The Guard flinched back.

“I thought you had a two-legger,” one of the other guards said, inspecting Fili closely.

“I do,” Kili said. “This is him.”

A third guard sighed, bubbles flying around his head. “You’re trouble.”

“Yep!” Kili said, grabbing Fili’s hand and swimming away with him.

“It’s a good thing no one can get here without a tail,” Fili said, looking around. “Is everything made out of gold?”

“No, not everything,” Kili said. “Coral, seaweed, and bones mostly.”

“Bones?” Fili asked.

Kili looked over his shoulder at Fili with a wide smile. “Bones. Fish, whale, human. Lots of bones make their way to the bottom of the ocean. We use what the sea gives us.”

Fili let Kili pull him along as they got to the underwater caves that Kili had claimed as his. They were twisty and had little areas where Kili could curl up in and not be seen. The rocks his home was made up of were shiny, all of them glittering brightly. There was a larger cave in the back with seaweed and other various detritus that made up a very comfortable bed. Kili grinned and twined around Fili.

“You’re beautiful,” Kili said, kissing Fili lazily, his hand snagging Fili’s and stroking the delicate webs there. “I wish I could keep you like this with me forever.”

“I feel the same during the moons,” Fili said, his hands catching in the cloud of Kili’s hair. “You’re a wonder.”

Kili nibbled on Fili’s bottom lip. “I want to make you feel good.”

“You do make me feel good,” Fili said. Kili reached down and grasped Fili’s clasper with one hand and with the other rubbed his fingers along his cloaca. Fili jumped in his grip, staring down at Kili, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

Kili tugged on Fili’s tail, getting his mate to come curl up in the seaweed bed. Kili squirmed as they kissed, focusing on his tail and what he wanted his body to do. Fili pulled him closer as Kili grew his own clasper. It tingled, making Kili rub against FIli and kiss him hungrily. Fili’s hands went to Kili’s tail, feeling his clasper and looking at him with wide eyes.

“How...?” Fili asked.

Kili kissed him. “Maybe I’ll explain later,” he said. He arched his tail into Fili’s hands and squirmed. “Swim with me, let me make you feel good?”

Fili let Kili guide him, twining around each other, rolling in the water over the seaweed that made up Kili’s bedding. They swam together, Kili leading Fili as their claspers occasionally rubbed against each other’s until Kili nuzzled up against Fili, his clasper pushed into Fili’s cloaca. Fili gasped, pushing against Kili, face to face, pulling him in for kisses. Kili hummed as they slowly moved together, spinning in the gentle current as they moved together. Unlike when they had legs, sex as mers was fast--though not as fast as other sea creatures. They kissed lazily as Kili pulled away, petting and stroking along Fili’s body.

Fili drifted toward the bottom of the seaweed bed and watched as Kili settled on him, mouthing along where Fili’s tail met flesh, hands stroking along his scales.

“Kili,” Fili moaned.

Kili wiggled and squirmed his way down, taking Fili’s clasper in his mouth and sucking, still stroking his scales. As humans this felt amazing but Kili did not know how it would feel as a mer. Before he might have made a mer do it to him so he would know but that was before Fili. The way Fili’s tail arched and curled around him and the quick burst of seed made Kili think that, maybe, it felt just as good.

Fili grabbed at Kili, pulling him close and nuzzling against his neck lazily. “I feel like I could go another ten rounds.”

Kili stroked Fili’s hair, smiling and cuddling him in content. “Mer can go forever,” he said. “Why do you think I can keep going as long as you can? You hold up good for a two-legger.”

“I don’t want to know, do I?” Fili asked tiredly. 

Kili rolled them, twirling and sliding his clasper inside Fili again, listening to the noise he was making. Fili had a tail for a fortnight. Kili would have to remind himself to show Fili around instead of just keeping him here in his home. But Fili was so gorgeous and his tail so incredibly attractive... Maybe they could explore in a few days and spend the rest of it mating.


	4. Chapter 4

“Arr,” Kili said, rolling on top of Fili. “Arr matey.” He snagged Fili's hat from where it was wedged between the wall and the bed and put it on his head.

Fili laughed, his hands on Kili’s waist. “Are you the pirate now?”

“Booty!” Kili said cheerfully. “Arr booty.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Fili said, kissing Kili.

Kili sat up and tapped Fili’s chest. “Your booty. Want.”

Fili moved forward and kissed him again, pulling him in close and tossing the hat to the floor. “You want me?”

Kili nodded. “Like you. Want booty.”

“Booty is gold,” Fili corrected. “Shiny.”

Kili nodded, his hands going to Fili’s behind. “Booty!”

Fili leaned in, kissing him. “Silly fish.”

“Not fish,” Kili said, pouting.

“Not booty,” Fili said, kissing away Kili’s pout.

Kili sighed and draped himself along Fili’s chest, his hands dangling over his shoulders. “Want,” he whined. “Want booty.”

Fili reached down and grabbed Kili’s behind. “Ass,” he corrected.

Kili leaned back and stuck out his tongue. “Plunder booty!”

Fili started laughing, leaning back and pulling Kili down against his chest and holding the mer there. Kili whined, struggling a little against Fili’s hold and then huffing, laying against him and muttering in his weird clicking language. Fili grinned, tilting Kili’s face and kissing him sweetly. “You want to plun--you want to fuck me?” Fili asked.

Kili scowled. “Plunder!”

Fili rolled his hips under Kili. “Fucking,” he said.

“Plunder,” Kili said.

Fili sighed, pressing a kiss to Kili’s forehead. “Plunder,” he said, conceding.

Kili smiled, obviously pleased with himself. He pushed at Fili, rolling him and nuzzling at his neck and hair as he rocked against the curve of Fili’s ass. Fili groaned softly, flailing for the bottle of salve they used, and pressed it back into Kili’s hands.

“My booty,” Kili said happily, taking the salve and setting it aside. He ran his hands over Fili’s back and sides, biting kisses along his flesh. Fili looked over his shoulder, watching him with a smile, the way Kili was so very content and possessive over him. Kili’s legs kicked as if he had fins instead of feet and he slid his way down Fili’s legs. Fili watched, curious, as Kili licked the small indents of his back. He nuzzled against Fili’s spine and kneaded Fili’s thighs.

“Waiting on something?” Fili asked.

Kili looked up at Fili and smiled before leaning down and biting the swell of Fili’s ass. The pirate yelped, trying to get away, but the mer had him nicely pinned. Kili was sucking on the bite, pulling away and poking at the bruise he had made.

“Did you just mark me?” Fili asked, staring.

Kili grinned. “Booty.”

Fili snorted, moving and grabbing Kili, pulling the mer into his lap and kissing him. “You’re ridiculous.”

Kili huffed. “Want!”

Fili ran his fingers through Kili’s hair, feeling the salt encrusted strands knot against him. “Yours,” he said. He let Kili crawl out of his lap and they traded, Fili kneeling over Kili, tipping his face up and kissing him. “Like you’re mine.”

Kili leaned into the kiss, cooing softly, hands stroking over his chest. There was a shuffle of body parts and grease, kisses and content noises, and then Fili was sinking down on Kili’s cock. Kili kissed him, doing his best to keep their lips together as Fili moved, riding Kili slowly. They kept it lazy, enjoying the feel of each other, the build of heat and the feel of sweat sliding down their skin. Fili panted as his moved faster, Kili’s hand wrapped around his cock, murmuring to him in the soft trilling language of the mers. Fili laughed breathlessly, head tipping back, hand threading through Kili’s freehand. They tipped over the edge together, Kili whining softly as he came, a stark contrast to the loud shout Fili let out.

Kili moved them, sliding out and curling up with Fili, nuzzling and murmuring soothingly at him. Fili smiled into Kili’s shoulder, his own hand curling around Kili’s hip as the mer fussed over him gently. Kili had the tendecy to fuss--touch and stroke and kiss and murmur and check to make sure every inch of Fili was flushed, sated, and in one piece--though he never did explain his odd fixation. Fili didn’t mind, usually tugging Kili against him and holding him close as the recovered their breath.

“Love you so much,” Fili murmured into Kili’s neck, nuzzling and kissing the warm flesh there.

Kili hummed softly, licking the salt from Fili’s skin. “Swim?” he asked hopefully.

Fili laughed and poked Kili in the ribs. “Let me catch my breath.”

Kili squrimed against him, chittering in pleasure and playing with Fili’s chest hair. Fili strecthed with a smile and laughed as he finally figured out what Kili was saying.

“Arr booty,” Kili was saying. “Plunder, plunder, arr.”


	5. Chapter 5

Fili ran into the brig and stopped short when he saw Kili in one of the cells. The mer was tangled in a net and not moving as Fili fell to his knees in front of the cell. He couldn't see the full extent of the damage but he could see red blood leaking down Kili's body and the rips in his fins.

Dwalin came up behind him and swore. "We need to get him in the water, lad," he said.  
Fili nodded and helped Dwalin find the joints in the cell and dismantle it enough to let them get to Kili. Once inside, Fili worked at carefully untangling his love from the net, eyes widening at the large strips of flesh taken from Kili's tail and the rips in the fine webbing between his fingers. Kili's normally tan skin was grey and his gills were flat against his neck.

Dwalin picked him up once they'd gotten him free of the net, ignoring the way Fili protested, and strode out onto the deck. He jumped up on the railing and fitted his arms around Kili, making sure to get Kili’s tail between his legs before jumping into the water. Fili jumped in after them, swimming over to where Dwalin was holding Kili under the water and supporting him.

“Is he...?” Fili asked, watching Kili closely as his gills starts to move. Kili gasped under the water, mouth opening and breathing the water as air bubbled up from his gills. Fili reached down, grasping Kili’s hand.

“He’ll be fine,” Dwalin said as they treaded water. “He’s going to need time to heal.”

Fili watched the way blood flowed out of the numerous cuts and slices along Kili body and nodded. “Whatever I can do,” he said.

“We should get him back to his own kind,” Dwalin said.

Fili looked up at Dwalin in confusion. “Why can’t we take care of him?”

“You can’t hunt for him,” Dwalin said. “And he’s going to need a lot of food. Those rats have had him for a long time if he’s this hurt.”

Fili sunk down in the water, kissing Kili gently. His mer made a soft, weak noise of affection and tried to turn into his kiss but couldn’t. His fins were barely moving and it was Dwalin that was keeping him afloat, not his own power. Fili gave a little kick and surfaced, looking at Dwalin with his hair plastered against his face and neck.

“How can we find the others?” he asked.

:::

Nori made a beautiful mer, Fili observed. His tail was a deep red that faded to black on his caudal fin with yellow dorsal fins that went up to his neck. The man’s odd shaped red hair surprisingly survived the water, though Fili had no idea how he managed that. There were several mer where Dwalin had directed Thorin, at least ten of them at the large caves of an island Fili had never realized was there.

The crew had built a type of tank for Kili on the deck of the Erebor, filled with water for the mer to be comfortable. Kili had been too weak to do more than rest against the bottom of the tank and stay there, unmoving. Fili had gone in a few times to make sure Kili was all right and was starting to heal but Kili had been unable to do more than grip his shirt weakly with his damaged hands.

“Can you hand him down to me?” Nori called up from the ocean.

Dwalin looked at Fili. “Think you can get him down to the water without harm?” 

Fili shook his head. “I’m shorter than him,” he said. “You protected him from being hurt when you got him into the water the first time.”

“The benefit of him being half giant,” Thorin teased his first mate gently. Dwalin shook his head and knocked Thorin’s hat from his head.

Dwalin went to the tank and reached up, pulling Kili out of the water and into his arms. Kili pushed at him weakly, obviously not wanting to be moved or out in the air. Fili hovered nearby as Dwalin got up on the rail one more time and carefully made sure that Kili’s body was protected as he jumped into the water with his legs straight. Nori had moved out of the way, as had some of the other mer, though two of them had dove deep down and helped Dwalin and Kili surface.

“Fili, you should come down here as well,” Nori called up.

Fili was over the rail before Nori had finished speaking. Nori chuckled and hugged Fili, smoothing a webbed hand over his hair. “Is he going to be okay?” he asked Nori.

Two of the other mer had taken Kili from Dwalin and were helping Kili stay afloat under the water, cooing and chittering at Kili softly. Nori looked over at him and sighed. “Who knows? The prince is strong so he probably will be fine and this wasn’t his first brush with those who only see greed when they see us.”

“Prince?” Fili asked, eyes wide. He looked at Kili, wanting to get closer, but one of the mers hissed, baring sharp pointy teeth, and he backed away.

“I had wondered about that,” Dwalin said.

Nori let go of Fili and swam over to Dwalin, twining around him and kissing him square on the mouth. “Of course you did,” he said affectionately. “Do you have some time to come see the brood?”

“Depend son how long Thorin wants to let us stay here,” Dwalin said. “I don’t want to compromise your home.”

Nori hummed softly in agreement. “Next time you’ve got a bit of shore leave let me know and you can see them. They’re getting so big.”

Dwalin nodded, a hand rubbing along Nori’s back. Fili tried to get closer again but another mer growled at him, fingers curving into claws. Nori said softly in their language, clicks and whistles and a low chattering that sent the protective mer diving into the water and letting Fili approach. The two mer supporting Kili didn’t look very happy about it but didn’t try and warn him off. Kili smiled at Fili, trying to get to him. Fili came closer so Kili wouldn’t stress himself and ducked under the water to brush a kiss over Kili’s forehead.

“You’ll let us know he’s okay?” Fili asked.

Nori released Dwalin to swim over to Fili and ruffle his hair, knocking his red bandanna off and into the water. “Of course we will. We’d have a very prissy prince on our hands if we didn’t.”

Fili nodded, trying to content himself with reassurances that Kili would be okay. Kili was making soft noises at the other mer, several of which had already headed off into the deeper water. Nori chuckled, saying something with a fond tone of voice, while Kili flexed his tail enough to send a little splash Nori’s way.

“See?” Nori said in amusement. “He’ll be fine.”


	6. Chapter 6

The crew of the Erebor was making their way back to their skiffs with a nice haul from the merchant house they'd just pillaged when Fili heard a scream. The light of the full moon let him and Dwalin make their way quietly over the rocks to see onto the little beach on the other side of the jetty they had hid their boats.

The beach had a bonfire blazing, giving more than enough light to the horrific sight before them. Blankets were strewn about and covered with blood, suggesting that there had once been many people in the vicinity. Instead, only one corpse was there, quite dead, as a mer ate him from the arm up. Fili stared in horror, remembering what Kili had said months ago when Fili had asked, about how he would eat Fili if he saw him on the moon.

In the light of the fire and the moon Fili could see the blue and yellow tail and the long brown hair, tangled with seaweed and shells. Kili had never looked that way before, but it was definitely him. He must have made a sound because the mer's head shot up, looking around and spotting them. His face was covered in blood, his normal teeth replaced with a set of razor sharp needle looking teeth that Fili had once seen on a fish that had been mounted on the wall of the Durin Estate, his belly slightly distended from eating as much as it looked like he had. Fili couldn't tell from how far away they were but it looked like Kili's eyes were different too. Kili glanced around, not seeing them, and went back to his meal.

"C'mon, lad," Dwalin said as he grabbed Fili's shoulder. "We should leave before he thinks to feast on us."

"He wouldn't," Fili said as Dwalin pulled him down the rocks, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Said the same about Nori," Dwalin said. "Took a chunk out of my thigh when I got too close once. Remind me to show you the scar."

Fili followed the burly man back to the skiffs and climbed into one, too lost in his thoughts. The full moon was going to be in the night sky for the next two nights before it would begin to wane enough to lose its control over Kili. Fili couldn't stop thinking about it, about what he had seen, the inhuman look of hunger on Kili's face. Fili had always seen Kili as another human, but one with a tail who spent most of his time in the water. Having seen that, though... He was reminded that the mer were Fae and one did not take them lightly. Here he had been thinking of Kili as harmless and instead he was anything but.

It was a hard thing to swallow. 

:::

It was a full week before Fili saw Kili again. He was leaning over the railing, face turned into the breeze, taking some much needed downtime. The ship had dropped anchor while Thorin and Dwalin plotted their next course and the crew was, for the most part, free to do as they wished. The only reason Fili noticed Kili at all was that his hair was darker than the ocean. Fili watched him, Kili's eyes just above the water line, but he could see the misery in the way he kept to the shadows of the Erebor.

"Hey, Ori, I'm gonna go see Kili," Fili called over his shoulder.

Ori blinked at him. "I thought? Is he there?" he asked.

Fili nodded and tugged his boots off, and his gun and sword, dropping them nerthe rest of the crew before getting up on the rail and diving off. He heard a squeak before he hit the water and there wasn't a fin in sight when he surfaced. Fili pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around.

"Kili?" he called, slowly turning in the water. He saw a ripple in the water and moved toward it. He almost caught Kili but the mer dodged him, the two of them doing the same little hide and seek game until Fili grabbed the side of the ship. "Would you stop running from me?" he demanded. 

Fili waited for a moment before grumbling to himself and starting to haul himself out of the ocean and back onto the Erebor.

"W-wait," Kili said, a hand on Fili's pants. "Don't. I..."

Fili let go and dropped back into the water, bobbing up and down as he got his equilibrium back. "Why have you been hiding?" he asked.

"You saw," Kili said miserably.

"I...you knew I saw you?" Fili asked. "How?"

"Smell," Kili said, keeping a noticeable distance between them. "Knew there."

Fili reached out and grabbed Kili's arms, pulling the suddenly struggling mer close. "So I saw you," Fili said. "You eat people. You go away and then come back. That's okay." Kili whined softly, still trying to get away but not putting much effort into it. "You're still you."

"Not me," Kili tried to say.

"It's still you," Fili said. "Everyone needs to eat. You just...eat differently."

"Not scared?" Kili asked, his hair in his face. The seashells and seaweed had been lost so it was only Kili's long hair.

"Of what, that you might eat me?" At Kili's nod Fili laughed. "If I had to die, that probably wouldn't be the worst way to go."

Kili stared at him.

Fili grinned. 

Kili broke away from him and pushed a wave of water at Fili, drenching him. "Weird!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (prompt)  
> oh mer!kili giving fili an underwater blowjob?  
> Anonymous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going through my tumblr to post all the prompts I've filled over the months and I've found a couple of mer!pfrompts I thought I had deleted... *shrug* So here they go

Fili was standing in the water, keeping an eye for the return crew, when he felt something brush against his side. He looked down and smiled at Kili through the water. Kili grabbed his hand and tugged him a little deeper. Fili let him, the water going up to the middle of his chest. He could feel hands unlacing his pants and reaching in to pull his cock out. Fili shivered at the coolness of the water and reached down to grip Kili’s shoulder as the mer took his in his mouth. 

Kili was teasing, tongue flittering here and there, mouth moving along Fili’s shaft before swallowing him down. It felt weird, the water in Kili’s mouth along with his cock, the way the mer didn’t have to breathe like the rest of them. Fili moaned at the way Kili sucked at him, the way his throat constricted around him as Kili took him whole. There was no one who understood the way the sea creatures lived, or what they ate, but the way Kili could take his cock so easily, could work him in his throat so well, spoke volumes to Fili. It didn’t matter though, nothing did, really, except that it fellt so unbelievably good. Kili played with his balls, toying and tugging at them gently, cupping them close to Fili’s body.

"Kili," Fili moaned brokenly, his hips starting to move, forcing his cock in and out of Kili’s mouth. "Fuck, Kili."

Kili let his mouth hang open, his throat slack, so that Fili could keep thrusting. It didn’t take much longer before Fili was coming, raising a hand and biting down on his fingers to keep from shouting his completion. He stumbled slightly in the water, Kili surging up to tug him close. 

"Hello," Fili said as Kili lazily swam them back to the dinghy.

"Hello," Kili murmured, staying in place with tiny movements of his tail while Fili rested against his chest.

"Where have you been?" Fili asked.

Kili smiled and nosed at Fili’s ear, his teeth clamping down on one of Fili’s braids and tugging affectionately. “Back now.”

"Doesn’t answer the question," Fili said.

Kili made a soft noise, a hum and a click with a low whistle, and cuddled Fili. He refused to attempt human speech after that, only speaking in his odd language, and holding Fili close. So much for answers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (prompt)  
> Mer!Kili outsider POV, maybe like a new crewmember not aware of Kili sees him interacting with Fili for the first time?  
> phoebe-artemis

"Man overboard!" Faramir shouted, watching as the captain’s nephew dove off the bow of the ship. Granted, they were anchored so there was no chance of Fili drowning, but nor did someone just DIVE off the side of a ship!

"Who?" Dwalin asked, striding quickly over to him.

"Fili, sir," Faramir said, pointing.

Dwalin leaned over the edge and squinted in the sun before laughing. “All clear,” he shouted. “It’s just Kili.”

There was a chorus of laughs and good natured catcalls sounding from all corners of the ship. Faramir, in the meantime, just looked at Dwalin as the big man strode back to the wheel and the captain.

"Kili?" Faramir asked?

"A mer," Thorin said. "He’s rather attached to Fili."

"Rather attached?" Dwalin laughed. "That’s like saying the sun rises in the east. Kili has saved our hides a couple of times and led us to many a good haul, all because of Fili."  
Faramir watched Thorin and Dwalin argue for a moment before looking over the edge of the ship. Fili was pressed against the hull of the ship and was being kissed by another man with long brown hair that was tangled with seaweed. From where Faramir was he couldn’t see how this Kili was a mer. He looked just as normal as anyone else. Weren’t mers supposed to be odd looking, with scales everywhere and sharp, pointy teeth? They were natural maneaters, right?

Faramir continued to watch as the two kissed before the darkhaired creature moved away. He twisted and dived, tail flicking up and spraying water everywhere as he vanished into the sea. Fili was laughing and treading water in the shadow of the Erebor for a while before Kili came back up to the surface. He had lost the seaweed in his hair and was presenting Fili with a water logged bag.

"That would be an apology for being gone so long," Thorin said from next to Faramir. "Every now and then he vanished for a few months, either because he was hurt hunting or because one of the other mers needed his help, but he always comes back and he always brings some sort of treasure he’s found on the bottom of the ocean for Fili."

"I see," Faramir said. "This is normal?"

"Has been for the past four years," Thorin said. "You get used to it. Just wait until the new moon next week." He clapped Faramir on the shoulder and walked back to the wheel and Dwalin.

"The new moon?" Faramir asked softly as he watched Fili accept the gift. "What happens then?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hunh. lookie what i found....

Dwalin walked along the beaches, watching the full moon, itching to get back on the Erebor and have the waves under foot. That's where he belonged, out on the sea, doing what he did best--plundering other ships of their cargo. He did not like being so...unused. If Thorin was determined to stay at Ered Luin for much longer Dwalin would be forced to take on honest work at a smithy. He frowned when heard the sound of a splash. The beaches were empty.

He quieted his steps and continued along the beach, hearing the sound of splashing getting louder and the sound of an animal in pain. It was near the shore and Dwalin could hear the sound of fins. He got closer and froze at what he saw. 

Nori. It had to be Nori. No one else had that distinctive hair style.

But... Dwalin wasn't sure he could believe what he was seeing. That was a tail. That was the tail of a merman. And the animal...

Oh.

Nori twisted round, hands still gripping the struggling seal to his chest. His face and beard were streaked with blood and he was still chewing on the mouthful he'd taken. Those were sharp teeth, pointy and vicious looking...and those were some pretty nasty looking claws.

Dwalin cleared his throat. "You like them squirming?" he asked.

Nori's hands twisted quickly and the seal went limp. 

"Or not."

Nori brought the seal back up to his mouth, taking another big chunk out of the now-dead animal. He kept his eyes on Dwalin as the man sat down next to him.

"So, this is your big secret," Dwalin said. "Never would have guessed."

Nori took another mouthful.

"From the lore I remember, you lot have to change every full moon," Dwalin said. "Like a lot of other mythical creatures."

Nori made a low sounding laugh, nothing like he normal would have made, this one sound a little more musical.

"Fine. Mythical doesn't make any sense," Dwalin said. He leaned back in the sand, looking up at the stars while Nori ate. "Are unicorns real? Werewolves? Kraken?"

Nori threw the seal carcass away from the sound of a thump landing a decent way away on the sand. Dwalin looked over at Nori, the other rolling over onto his stomach and licking his fingers clean of blood. A long, slender tail rose above and behind him, twitching slightly. 

"Throw me a bone," Dwalin said.

Nori looked at him, head tilted to the side, and poked Dwalin with his finger. "No unicorns."

"Well, that's a shame."

"Krakens are bitchy assholes."

Dwalin stared at him. "Son of a..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS was for my darling upallnightogetloki

Dwalin watched as Nori and Kili flitted around in the water, playing some elaborate game of tag that only they knew the rules to.

"It's good to see Nori again," Fili said as he leaned over the rail to watch the two mers. "I know you and go visit him but that's selfish. We like him too, you know."

"Talk to that one," Dwalin said. "He's been the silent one."

Fili was silent for a moment, watching as the tag game ended and devolved into a splashing war. He grabbed the railing and hoisted himself up, letting out a sharp whistle. Kili broke away from Nori to wave up at Fili before swimming over to the hull and pulling himself up the built-in ladder. He waved from the deck and smiled at Dwalin and Fili. Nori was swimming lazily on his back in the water. Dwalin continued to watch him while Fili and Kili spoke softly. Nori was smiling and Dwalin could just see the gold chain still wrapped around his waist. There were other bits of shiny metal or gems on his person and in his hair, but it was still Nori.

Kili darted over to Nori and the two of them swum together, circling idly near the ship. They were chirping and clicking at each other, a language Dwalin hadn't heard from Nori until Kili had come along.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Fili asked, coming back over to Dwalin.

"Aren't we leaving soon?" Dwalin asked.

Fili laughed. "You know those two are going to end up following us, right?"

Dwalin glanced down to where Nori was braiding something into Kili's hair. The younger mer's tail was twitching in delight. "Not now, but yeah, sure, kid. It'll be fun."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more for upallnightogetloki

Dwalin hopped out of the boat with a splash and dragged the boat after him as he made his way to shore. Getting the boat out of the way now would be best so he wouldn't have to worrying about it when...occupied. Once he was sure the little boat wasn't going to go anywhere, he waded back into the water up to his knees and waited.

A couple of minutes ticked by with nothing but the sound of the surf and the pull and push of the current until he felt fingers walking up the back of his calf. He looked down at the water, grinned, and waited some more. The fingers became a hand, both of them grabbing fast to Dwalin's ankles and pulling him gently off his feet. Dwalin went with it, controlling his descent into the ocean, letting the water wrap around his face as he went under.

Nori was there, smiling cheerfully at him, and leaning in to kiss Dwalin's cheek before darting away. Dwalin surfaced and chuckled before walking out a little further at the sight of a pale tail flicking through a wave. Nori was showing off, the sun glinting off his gold and yellow scales, his white translucent fins twirling about with him. It was a sight to see but Dwalin wanted a little more than a show. He dug into his pocket and produced a long gold chain with many odd charms hanging off it. He'd found it in a raid and throught it was something Nori would have picked up when he was still part of the crew.

As soon as Dwalin had it out of his pocket Nori was curled around him, pawing at the metal wrapped around his fist. "What's this?" Nori asked as Dwalin lifted his arm, bringing the mer with him. "That's nice. Is it for me? It better be for me. I want that."

"Goldfish brain," Dwalin said affectionately. He shook his arm a little and Nori let go, falling back into the water and floating on his back as he watched Dwalin closely. Dwalin leaned down, wrapping the gold chain around the base of Nori's tail, right where his tan skin met the first few shimmery scales. "There."

Nori immediately folded in on himself, trying to examine every charm on the chain, swimming in tight circles as the jewelry moved with him. Once he was done he hefted himself into Dwalin's waiting arms and kissed him. "Hello."

"Hello yourself," Dwalin laughed.

"I've missed you," Nori said. "Can you stay for a while?"

"I've got a week," Dwalin said. "Kili is distracting everyone so no one will miss me."

Nori gave him a sly smirk before kissing Dwalin again. "Good prince."

"Had something to do with that, did you?"

Nori slid out of Dwalin's arms and slipped under the water as he kicked up sand. When the ocean and sand had calmed it was impossible to see the mer. Well. If hide and seek was what Nori wanted, then hide and seek Dwalin would give him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....yeah i got nothing but hey. :D thorin &frerin are awesome

Thorin reclined in the bed, looking as ridiculously regal tied to the bed as he did commanding the Erebor. Frerin smirked down at Thorin, his brother's feather tricorn hat sliding down just enough to make him look devilishly attractive. He knew because Thorin's cock jerked against his stomach and there was a mirror fastened to the wall above the headboard.

"I don't know," Frerin drawled. He walked forward on his knees, making Thorin spread his wide as he settled between them. "I think this hat suits me better than it does you."

"It's a little big," Thorin said.

Frerin raised his hand and pushed the hat back with one finger before leaning down and kissing Thorin softly. It wasn't hungry or demanding, it was just the simple slide of skin against skin, the dampness catching against the dry. "I'm a little big," Frerin murmured into Thorin's mouth. 

Thorin chuckled. "I know you are."

"You want a little bit of me?"

"A little bit of your bigness?" Thorin asked.

Frerin smiled. "Maybe all of it?"

"All of it," Thorin said. "I want it all."


	13. For Linane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Linane (&posted for FiKi Week, but 1000005% for Linane because she was having a bad day)

"I'm pruning," Fili said, holding up his hands. Kili leaned in and tugged at his hand, examining his fingers. "See? Like when you don't have water."

Kili pushed Fili's hand away with a wrinkle of his nose. "Odd."

"Not used to humans much, hunh?" Fili asked. He hauled himself out of the tidal pool and up onto a barnacle instructed rock, their sharp edges digging into callused hands. They would have cut but his hands were too thick for the tiny white creatures to draw blood.

Kili fished out a crab from the tidal pool and broke it apart, nibbling on the legs first and then the soft underbody. It was Fili's turn to wrinkle his nose. Kili glanced up and wiggled back into the water a little more, fingers carding through the sand. He found an oyster and offered it to Fili with a smile.

Fili took it with a grin, pulling out a knife and cracking it open, handing one half of the shell back to Kili. "Thank you," he said. "We're not at port for long."

Kili buried the pieces of crab shell he didn't eat and played with the coarse sand. Fili watched as Kili's caudal fin slapped against the gently rolling sea. The mer's dorsal fin lay flat against his back and trailed into the water, same with his ventral fins, all of them surrounding the tanned torso like a fancy lady's floofy dress. The coloring of his scales catching in the sunlight and turning him into an even more otherworldly figure than he was.

Another oyster was offered.

"Come with," Kili said.

"You're going to come with us?" Fili asked, cracking the shell open again with his knife and slurping at the insides.

Kili nodded, pressing himself flat against the water of the tidal pool, keeping wet. His hair, tangled and tied back with bits of seaweed and shell, floated out around him. The mer was mostly submerged, the only part of him above water was his sand-colored eyes and the top of his head, calling to mind stingrays or other deep sea creatures.

"You gonna swim or come aboard?"

Kili stayed still, staring at him, an inner film flicking over his eyes and then retreating. Fili waited. The mer was so odd when he wanted to be.

"Legs," Kili said finally, head raising just enough to sneak before sliding back into the water.

"You're going to have to leave the water," Fili said.

Kili whined and rolled over and over, churning up sand and seaweed, caudal fin smacking down and sending water spraying. Fili dodged, trying to avoid the spray, and yelped as, flailing, he fell off his rock and into the water. Kili had moved quickly since if he hadn't moved then Fili would have landed on his head.

As fun as that usually was it was better reserved for somewhere with less sand.

Kili scooted over to him, leaning in close, making those soft clicks and whistles of his language as he stroked Fili's hair. Fili chuckled softly and let the mer curl around him with his torso and his fishy tail. Fili stroked his hand over the tail, fingering scales as he moved his hand. Kili murmured happily and nuzzled into Fili, tightening the way he wrapped around him.

"Okay, we can stay in the water for now," Fili said. "But we'll need to go back to ship soon."

Kili hummed and pet Fili's chest, his lightly clawed fingers snagging at his chest hair. Fili turned his head and pressed his lips to Kili's salty forehead. He might be pruning or pickling bits of his body but it was worth it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Linane wanted, I gave :)

"Metal," Kili said as he threaded a finger through the ring in Fili's nipple. "Why?"

Fili winced at the tug as it wasn’t exactly gentle. He reached up and pulled the slightly clawed hand away. “Because,” he said. “It feels good."

Kili tilted his head to the side and looked down at his own chest. Yes, he had nipples as well. Fili smiled and reached out, pinching and rolling one between his fingers. Kili’s eyes widened and then fell half-closed, murmuring in his strange language. Fili let go and leaned in, kissing Kili’s forehead. The mer scooted closer, using his hands and arms to support himself even with legs. He moved like a fish even out of water.

“Is good,” Kili said. “More?"

Fili chuckled. “See? It feels good."

Kili hummed and poked at his chest with his spindly nail. It pushed and shuddered a little, his nail sinking in. Fili, startled, yanked Kili’s hand away.

“What are you doing?!"

Kili looked down at his chest, beads of blood sliding down his chest, and then leaned in to kiss Fili. “More?"

Fili glanced down—he couldn’t help himself—and snorted at how heavy Kili’s penis looked. The mer hated the idea of clothes and walked around in his bare flesh when he could get away with it. The crew had long since gotten used to it and humored the mer. Quite a few even enjoyed the view.

“What do you want?” Fili asked.

“More,” Kili said, smiling. He reached out, hands settling on Fili’s breast, and scooted even closer. He started to use his legs and maneuvered himself into Fili’s lap.

“Not here,” Fili said. They were out on the quarter deck and plenty of the crew were walking past. One of them let out a soft whistle and Fili rolled his eyes. He yelped and reached down, pulling Kili’s hands out of his pants. “Tricky!"

Kili nuzzled in close, hips rocking, and Fili gave in. He let Kili ease his cock out and kissed him. Kili tasted like the sea, deep and salty and full of secrets, his hands cool as they touched. He warmed up as Fili slipped inside him, body surging against his.

“More,” Kili moaned.

Fili grunted, hips moving, and reached up to pinch and roll Kili’s nipples. The mer whined and moved faster. FIli could barely keep up and he shuddered in surprised pleasure as Kili played with the heavy silver through his own nipples. Fili loved having them toyed with and they always seemed to have a direct line to his cock. He could feel his balls tighten and dug his nails into Kili’s hips. 

The mer’s head tipped back, his seaweed braided and tangled hair tickling Fili’s shins as they moved, trilling lyrically. Kili held on as Fili moved them, pushing him back against the wood of the deck, and fucked him like his life depended on it. He could hear some of the crew hoot at them and the sound of others grunted as they pleasured themselves to the spectacle Fili made.

Kili’s eyes opened, the brown bits barely there, and leaned in. He latched his mouth against Fili’s chest, his blunt human teeth against his skin and his tongue twined around the piercing. Fili shouted as he came, hips stuttering but still moving, and gritted his teeth. Kili leaned back, looking pleased, and then lost the smug expression to a surprised one.

Fili had slipped his cock out but was still working him over with hands and tongue. He’d pushed three fingers inside the mer and working his hard. Kili’s legs were spread and he writhed until he came with his own wailing cry.

“Damn,” one of the watchers said.

Fili snorted and leaned in to kiss the limp mer. Kili reached up, looking as if raising his arms took all his effort, and pulled Fili in close.

“More,” he purred. “Cabin?"

Fili sighed and kissed the mer. “Cabin,” he agreed. He got to his feet, pulling his pants up and giving them a quick tie. He reached down and pulled Kili to his feet. The mer whined and leaned into him. Fili huffed affectionately and pulled the mer on his back. He walked them into his cabin, ignoring the jeers, and let the mer fall onto his bed once they were alone. “Let me show you what else feels good with just the right amount of pressure."

Kili clapped his hands as a blissed out expression took up residence on his face. “More,” he said with delight.

“More,” Fili agreed.


	15. Chapter 15

Kili watched, belly down in the sand, kicking his legs about in the air, as he watched the pirates make what they called a "clam bake". Kili had no idea why they would want to ruin such delicious lobsters and clams and crabs and all the other shellfish. Fili had given him some of the raw ones with a sympathetic smile and Kili had happily eaten them.

They were burning seaweed and Kili wiggled, enjoying the way the sand scratched at his skin. It was so very comfortable. He loved it when he had a tail because it helped him when he was shedding scales. He rolled over onto his back and flopped about, making imprints in the sand.

"C'mere," Dwalin said with a low growl. He reached down and hauled Kili to his feet. Dwalin always growled. It was interesting to Kili. He tried to imitate it as Dwalin ledhim to the fire.

"No," Kili said firmly, skittering away from the flames and falling on his butt. He crossed his arms and looked up at him. "No," he repeated.

Dwalin shook his head, scratching at his peeling scalp. He ambled away, kicking up sand behind him, as he went over to the fire and the other pirates. Kili got to his feet and plopped himself down in the surf. He was hungry, but not hungry enough to deal with fire.

Kili stretched and moved his legs independently of each other, churning water and sand. He wanted his tail but having legs made it easier to spend time with Fili. He huffed and flopped down on his back, arms spread wide.

"Having fun?" Fili asked. He was holding a cracked open coconut full of fish. Raw fish. Dead, unfortunately, but raw. Kili scrambled to his feet, swayed, and fell into Fili. The two of them went backwards, Fili laughing as Kili laughed happily, grabbing at the coconut.

Kili happily bit into the fish inside, barely chewing as he devoured it all, finishing by using a few spare scales to pick at his teeth. "Yum."

Fili smiled and scratched at his salt-encrusted chest hair. "C'mon, we've got rum. And some lobster. You like that either way, right?"

Kili got to his feet and stretched. “Lobster good. Fili better."

“You can’t eat Fili right now,” Fili said. “Later, maybe. Oh!” Kili tilted his head as waited as Fili fished something out of his shirt. It was a bundle of crumpled wax paper. “We sank one of the Spanish merchants a bit ago but we got their cargo. And they had this stuff. It’s pretty amazing."

Kili leaned in against Fili and looked at him expectantly. 

“Here, try it,” Fili said, offering Kili a sliver of something dark brown. Kili leaned in to sniff it and pulled back with a frown. It didn’t smell like anything he was familiar with. He could see it was melting and it made him wary. “It’s not going to hurt you."

Kili rolled his eyes at Fili and shook his head. “No. Not fish."

“No, not fish,” Fili agreed. “Chocolate. From a plant."

Kili looked at the seaweed by their feet.

“No, not that type of plant. Just, c’mon. Try it."

Kili leaned into Fili, nuzzling at his neck and his scratchy chin. Scratchy Fili was almost as good as sand. He licked Fili's skin with a happy noise. "Fili."

Fili laughed. "C'mon, try something new."

Kili rolled his eyes and leaned back, opening his mouth. Fili set a little sliver of it on Kili's tongue. Kili closed his mouth and let the chocolate melt. It was bitter and odd. It didn't bother him but it also wasn't desirable. Rather like a baby squid.

"Well?"

Kili wrinkled his nose. "Like squid."

Fili's eyebrows flew up. "Like squid?"

Kili nodded.

"O-kay then," he said. He shook his head and wrapped an arm around Kili's waist. "C'mon, let's go to the others."

Kili wrinkled his nose. Fire. Ugh. Skin didn't dry out as quickly as his scales but still. He sighed and let Fili tug him over to where the humans were cooking all that tasty fish. Barbarians, the lot of them.


End file.
